Summary
This is an update for people from Syria in the UK. The pause on processing their asylum and protection claims has been lifted. There is still a lot we don’t know about what will happen next.
July 2025
The Home Office has announced they will resume decision-making for people from Syria with protection claims. Decision making on Syrian cases has been paused for over 7 months, since December 2024. During this time people from Syria have been stuck in limbo and uncertainty. The pause included people with initial asylum claims and appeals, and people with refugee status making settlement claims, including people who arrived under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
The Home Office has published new “Country Policy and Information Notes” about the situation for different groups of people in Syria. These can be found here.
The guidance gives the position of the Home Office, which is that Syria now is generally safe for most people who return (the exception is for members of the Alawite community). However, it is important that individual circumstances are considered when any decision is made, and the Home Office do recognise that conditions in Syria still remain very difficult for many people who live there.
What this means
The Home Office will start progressing cases for people from Syria who have been waiting for interviews or decisions. We don’t know yet how quick this will be or how they will apply their new information about the situation from Syria.
It is possible some asylum claims will be refused. If your claim is refused, you have the right to appeal. Read more about appeals in Right to Remain’s Toolkit.
What can you do now?
If you have a lawyer, you should discuss this with them. If you don’t have a lawyer, there are steps you can take yourself.
Consider if there are any reasons why you think is still not safe for you to return to Syria now that the Assad regime is no longer in power. This may be because of your religion, your ethnicity, your health, or lack of family or support in Syria. Your circumstances in the UK may also have changed whilst you have been waiting. If you can get evidence about these things that would be good.
If you have an ongoing asylum claim, the Home Office should get in touch to ask you about any circumstances that make it unsafe for you to return to Syria. They may write to you or call you for an interview, even if you have been interviewed already.
If you have applied for Indefinite Leave (permanent settlement) after a grant of refugee status, then you should update the Home Office about any new reasons why you need to stay in the UK. This could include reasons why you cannot safely return to Syria, or things to do with your life in the UK, such as family here. If you have these reasons, it is a good idea to tell the Home Office about them now.
You can contact the Home Office by email if you have already given your fingerprints/photograph (either using the UK Immigration: ID Check app on your phone or in person at a biometrics appointment). Email livsetaahub@homeoffice.gov.uk. You will need to give your full name, date of birth and UAN (12-digit application number) in the subject line so that it should be linked to your case. Include any evidence you have of reasons you cannot return to Syria.
What we think
Asylum claims being stuck on pause has been distressing for a lot of Syrian people in the UK. We also know people may be worried to read the new guidance saying Syria is a safe place for some groups of people. But people still have the right to put forward their arguments about why it is not safe for them to be in Syria, and the Home Office have to consider their individual case.
Many Syrian people who arrived through resettlement schemes and other routes have been here for a long time, put down roots and become important parts of their communities in the UK. We stand with our Syrian community in the North West. We will continue to keep you informed as we get new information.